INFANTS
One of the
greatest wonders of creativity is how ageless it is. From a very
early age, babies respond to color, sound and movement. Building blocks,
educational toys and play mats and cushions with bright colors, textures or
interesting sounds are designed to help stimulate an infant's
natural curiosity.
TOYS
FOR INFANTS
Infants need bright-colored toys
of many textures. They should be washable, non-breakable, and
have no sharp edges that might cut or scratch. Infant toys should
be large enough so they cannot be swallowed and they should have
no small attached pieces (like eyes on a stuffed animal or bells
on a shaker) that could be pulled off and swallowed. At this age,
babies put everything into their mouths as part of exploring their
worlds.
Any
toy that infants are given must be safe when used in this way. Infants
are interested in looking at toys, touching them with their hands
and mouth, fitting pieces of things together and making sense
of their worlds. Choose toys for them to look at, feel, chew on,
hold, and drop. As infants begin to walk or crawl, they also will
be interested in push-pull toys and balls. Appropriate infant
toys include: rattles, squeak toys, blocks,
crib mobiles, stacking toys and rings, push-pull toys, stuffed
animals or dolls, nested boxes or cups, books
with rhymes, simple picture books, noise making toys, small
soft toys for throwing, strings of beads (large, plastic), and
music-making
toys.
How you can help 1. Be understanding when you play with
infants. Play with them for short periods of time so they will
not get overly excited. Babies do not understand or enjoy teasing.
For example, when they reach for a toy, let them get it instead
of dangling it then snatching it away. Teasing frustrates babies
and may make them cry. 2. Play "pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo"
and simple games with infants.3. Let babies play with your fingers
and hair. 4. Read MUSICAL FUN FOR INFANTS
or PLAY FOR INFANTS to get more ideas
about what to play with infants. More
about Children and Toys Back
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PLAY FOR INFANTS
Play from birth to 18 months, primarily
involves use of the senses. Babies see, smell, hear, taste, and
touch. They learn about their world in these ways. The information
infants gain from this simple play is important for their future
play and learning. As soon as babies open their eyes, parents
can provide brightly colored pictures around the room, changing
the position of the crib and the pictures often. Focusing on the
pictures strengthens eye muscles and encourages babies to be alert.
Light, washable toys hung as a mobile encourage eye exercises.
When the baby is able to hold things; soft rattles and squeaky
toys help the child to feel and to hear distinctive sounds. A
crib gym set will help in physical growth. Although the child
can play alone, part of the play period should include other people.
Singing and cuddling are important ways that we can participate
in play with infants.When babies begin to sit up, their toys may
need to be changed. They are now ready for plastic clacker rings,
and enjoy any object that has movement and color. When babies
start creeping, they are ready for cloth picture books, balls,
and soft, cuddly toys. Nursery rhymes with rhythm and repetition
sound pleasant to older infants.
More about Children and Play
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MUSICAL FUN FOR
INFANTS
The music infants hear is dependent on
their caregivers. Mothers might sing short, simple songs in high-pitched
voices or dads might chant phrases over and over in deep, low
tones. Brothers, sisters, and babysitters may play popular records
on the stereo for them. Grandparents may tune to radio stations
that play classical or orchestrated music. Some research findings
suggest that babies can hear music even before they are born,
while still in the mother's womb. Sing simple, short songs to
infants in a high, soft voice. Make up one or two lines about
bathing, dressing, or eating to sing to them while you do these
activities. Nursery rhymes said with rhythm and repetition sound
pleasant to older infants. You also can provide rhythmic activities
for younger infants by rocking them or clapping and patting their
hands together. Babies will respond with excited movements like
swaying, waving, and bouncing. Gurgling, cooing, and happy shouting
are the baby's own way of making music!
More about Children and Music and Rhythm.
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STORIES AND POEMS
FOR INFANTS
Long before children
can walk and talk they will listen closely to the rhythmic rise
and fall of their caregiver's voice. Before 6 months, the baby's
experience with stories and poems is closely tied to music and
rhythm experiences. Babies older than 6 months still enjoy rhythmic
sounds and repetition. Reading nursery rhymes and simple stories
to babies will help develop their language skills and offer a
change in the words and sounds they hear every day. Reading to
babies also will help them learn to listen and to tell the difference
between sounds. Cloth and board books, simple story books, and
wordless picture books offer babies something to feel, touch,
look at, and think about. By looking at books, babies will learn
that pictures have meaning. As you point out things in the pictures,
they will begin to use their eyes to connect pictures with words.
A 6-month-old is ready to sit in your lap and can reach out to
touch and feel the book as you point to the pictures. By 9 months,
most babies will try to help you turn the pages. Turning the pages
of a think board book will help infants feel good about what they
can do, as well as help develop their small muscle coordination.
Choose a book with a short, simple story and a lot of rhythm and
repeated words and phrases
Books for Infants
Thinking books, simple story
books, nursery rhymes, poems, wordless picture books, cloth and
board books are good choices for babies. Young infants will enjoy
picture books made of cloth or cardboard that have pictures of
things they know. They like eye catching colors such as red, blue,
or yellow, and pictures with high contrast like simple black and
white drawings. Identification books, such as Richard Scarry's
*Best Word Book Ever*, are good for older infants. From about
15 months to 18 months, you can start to read simple stories with
plots to the children you care for. Books that children can take
part in, like Pat the Bunny, delight older babies. Thinking books
that introduce ideas like up/down, in/out, big/little, and over/under
are good for older infants as well.
How you can help Infants do not
have long attention spans so keep your reading activities short
and fun. It also is a good idea to have books on low shelves so
babies can reach them when they want. Try reading or reciting
poetry and rhymes or doing finger plays during bath or feeding
time. Remember that children of this age love to have things repeated
over and over, so be willing to recite the same rhyme a number
of different times. Soon babies will respond to the different
tones and rhythms and may try to repeat the rhyme or do the finger
play along with you. Finger plays are poems, rhymes or songs with
finger motions. There are many books available with examples of
finger plays in them. Some are listed in the resources.
More about Children and Stories and Poems.
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Reprinted with permission from
the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Lagoni, L. S., Martin,
D. H., Maslin-Cole, C., Cook, A., MacIsaac, K., Parrill, G., Bigner,
J., Coker, E., & Sheie, S. (1989). Good times being creative.
In *Good times with child care* (pp. 239-253). Fort Collins,
CO: Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.
MORE ON CHILD CREATIVITY
Make
your child
more creative for life.
Every child has creative
ability just waiting to be tapped. Even infants have budding creative
potential. The right educational toys can bring it out. and let
children enjoy the benefits of creative pursuits at many levels.
Infants,
toddlers,
preschoolers,
early
school age and older
school age children all delight in opportunities for creative
expression through colors, shapes and sounds.
At The Creativity Institute, we handpick each infant educational
toy, every creative plaything, each piece of furniture and every
toy musical instrument based on its potential for developing vital
creative resources in your child.
Toy
pianos, oversized
foam building blocks, puppet
theaters and puppet stages and people
and animal hand puppets, art
supplies and children's
easels, play
tents and more. The scale and durability of many of these
toys make them perfect for classrooms, homeschool,
day care centers and waiting rooms, too. The benefits of nurturing
creativity can be profound, offering children tools for success
in all endeavors athletic, artistic or academic. Let your baby
begin now.